With no wifi (but surprisingly mobile phone reception in the middle of the Indian ocean many miles from land) this part of the blog is retrospective and all took place last week.

A short flight from Colombo to Male, the capital, takes me to the Maldives. The airport is perched on one island. Immediately outside the airport there are water buses to wizz passengers across the waterways to the main island a bit like a far eastern Venice. A night in a hotel and then a morning to explore the small, bustling centre of this muslim country – fish markets, vegetable markets, stores loaded onto boats from stores, water buses, freight barges, speed boats, luxury cruisers & diving vessels.

Water buses moor up before passengers cram in along with boxes, cases, bundles & crates – oh and the 3 guys who ride their motorbikes down the gang plank and park them at the end of the bus behind the seats.

Then off by water bus to a jetty where we transfer to our boat. The luggage goes first in the inflatable.

Then we set off and cruise for a couple of hours to our first night’s stop.